Investigative Bodies Are Directly Under the Influence of Executive Power, Says Kocharyan

During the court session concerning the March 1 case at the Court of Appeal, defendant Robert Kocharyan delivered a statement regarding the recusal of presiding judge Mkhitar Papoyan. Joining the objection raised by his defense team, he stated, “Mr. Alumyane tried to present that a tool would be formed through the motion, which could be used by both sides in judicial practice. My supporters can start expressing opinions about prosecutors, other judges, and those with low ratings on Facebook, while the opposite side can start expressing opinions about judges with high ratings, but this tool is used unilaterally,” he said.

According to Robert Kocharyan, the investigative bodies are directly under the influence of executive power. “This way, it will be possible to neutralize judges they find undesirable and sideline them in specific criminal cases. We need to confront this and prevent the creation of further opportunities for such practices,” he noted.